Why is it important to read social research? Reading social research helps us find out how the research community are investigating a topic, what has been found out about it, and helps us understand where the gaps are. It also lets us judge critically the quality of other people's research, consider how important it is, or how much trust we can place in it. Understanding what excellent quality social research is lets us be more discerning about the evidence we are presented with, and helps us figure out what is important and how we might go about researching ourselves. Researchers conduct literature reviews to identify areas that have not yet been researched in detail or methods that have not yet been applied. They then go and do research to fill the gap. This is how researchers contribute to the development of knowledge on that topic. These are important skills that are used in the preparation of all social research.
In this module you will learn about different approaches to reviewing the literature from systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and meta-analyses; how to go about finding research evidence including the different types of literature (peer-reviewed journal articles, books, reports, 'grey’ literature), and how to reference correctly. By applying these skills you’ll build your knowledge about important concepts and research methods that are used in your workplace environment to address real-world problems.
Class 8
Workshop 5
Independent Study 7
Assessment Preparation 50
'On-the-job' training hours (work-based experience) -130
Total hours:- 200 hours
Available ONLY for the BA (Hons) Applied Social Research (Social Researcher) as a compulsory module
Assessment methods:
Written-Extended Writing -Literature Review - Evaluative annotated bibliography -1,500 words -Covers Module learning outcome (1, 2, 3, 4) -80% Weighting- This Assessment is Pass Compulsory
Written -Test -Online multiple choice (15 questions)- Covers Module learning outcome (2,4) -20% Weighting
Reassessment methods: Like-for-like
The most up to date reading list for each module can be found on the university's reading list pages
On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:
1. Describe how to report the findings of social research. (Maps to K20 of the occupational standard).
2. Apply critical approaches to secondary research, such as how to source information, assess research quality and use research from previously conducted studies. (Maps to K8 of the occupational standard).
3. Describe how to evaluate evidence from a range of sources to inform decisions. (Maps to S11 of the occupational standard).
4. Collect and interpret quantitative and qualitative research outputs. (Maps to S12 of the occupational standard).
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